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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 22, 2002)
Page A5 May 22,2002 City Leads Nation in Sewer, Water Fees (AP) — Sewer and water bills for resi dential customers in Portland are the sec ond highest among nearly 50 big cities surveyed by an international consulting firm, exceeded only by Seattle. Aging systems and rising building costs have driven most of the increase, city officials said. Portland is currently paying for a $ 1 billion project to clean up sewage overflows into the Willamette River and Columbia Slough. The city’s sewer charges for a house hold using 7,500 gallons a month ranked as the highest of the 49 large cities that submitted data to Black and Veatch, an engineering, construction and consult ing firm. Portland’s water rates ranked 15th high est out of the 49 cities surveyed. Fire Pops Lid Off Storage Tank Boyer Honored for Service to College r Robert Boyer, a longtime Portland resident and community activist, addresses the class o f2002 at Concordia University. Boyer received the northeast Portland college's Christi Crux award for significant contributions to the university from Dr. Charles Schlimpert (left), university president. (AP)— An explosion forced the lid off of a 100,000-gallon steel tank storing liq uid asphalt early Friday in northwest Portland. A fire broke out at 3 a.m. because of a miscommunication between employees at the Owens Coming plant, said Neil Heesacker, a Portland Fire Bureau spokes man. One employee thought the tank contained just 28,000 gallons when it ac tually held much less, Heesacker said. When workers began heating the tank early Friday, too much vapor built up inside the tank and it exploded, Heesacker said. No injuries were reported. The fire was contained within a few hours. Plant officials estimated about $ 150,000 in damage. Well Runs Dry for AIDS Drugs State freezes new enrollments as demand outstrips supply (A P )— Public health officials have put a tem po rary freeze on new enrollm ents into O reg o n ’s pre scription drug assistance program for people w ith HIV and A ID S. D r. M el K ohn, state epidem iologist, said the freeze is needed because higher drug prices and an 88 percent increase in applicants in the past tw o years have overw helm ed the program ’s $3.8 million ■ annual budget. The num ber o f enrollees rose from 55 8 in 1999to 1,051 in 2001 because o f the sta te ’s econom ic downturn. “W e deeply regret having to take this step,” Kohn said. “W e know this w ill have a serious im pact on people w ho need this help.” T he freeze could end by m o n th ’s end, how ever. Kohn said th a t’s w hen new policies, w hich could include lower benefits and stricter eligibility criteria, will likely be ham m ered out. “W e don ’ t w ant to put som eone on the program and then rem ove them until we clarify w hat we want to do for the rest o f the y ear,” K ohn said. T h e sta te re c e iv e s 2 0 to 25 n ew a p p lic a tio n s per m onth. The prospective changes com e as the num ber o f HIV and AIDS cases in O regon has been steady for the past four years. B ut those w ho have the virus or the disease are living longer because o f new and expensive anti-viral medications. Dr. M ark L o v e le ss, m ed ic al d ire c to r fo r the s ta te 's H IV p ro g ra m s, said the n u m b er o f A ID S GMAC proudly 'salutes the 175th anniversary of the Black Press. We are pr oud to honor the history of the Black Press and its dedication to Afr ican Americans. Just as the Black Press has educated African Americans on important Issues affecting their lives, GMAC is equally committed to educating consumers about the importance of credit and its essential role in their lives. deaths hit 355 in 1994, then dropped o ff d ram a ti c a lly s ta rtin g in 1996 b e c a u se o f new m e d ic a Happy Anniversary. tions. O nly 47 O re g o n ia n s d ied from A ID S in 1999. B efore the new m ed ications, h a lf o f those w ith the A ID S virus p ro g re sse d to the d ise a se w ith in nine y e a rs. N ow it ca n tak e 18 to 20 y ears. T he sta te ’s prescrip tio n pro g ram served about 1,100 p e o p le , o r a b o u t 21 p e rc e n t o f the 5 ,2 0 0 GMAC F inancial S ervices w ww.gmacfs. com O regonians infected w ith the virus. M ore than 9 0 p e rc e n t o f the pro g ram ’ s b u d g et GMAC it o registowd irodemod. of toe General Moto»t Acceptance Corporation £>2002 GMAC All ngbat reterved com es fro m federal sources. 1 * I I
